2018 NFL mock draft: Top 10 loaded with surprises

2018 NFL mock draft: Top 10 loaded with surprises

With the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine kicking off this week, the mock draft machine is kicking into a higher gear, with projections flying in every direction between now and draft weekend.

The latest 2018 NFL mock draft comes from CBS Sports, with the surprises starting early and often.

At No. 1 overall, this mock has the Cleveland Browns throwing off conventional wisdom and crowning Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield their new franchise quarterback. Despite prototypical passers available in this year’s deep class, new general manager John Dorsey would be making a bold move by handing the keys to the fiery but undersized Heisman Trophy winner.

The surprises continue at No. 2 overall, where this projection has the New York Giants taking Wyoming’s Josh Allen over more proven quarterbacks like UCLA’s Josh Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold.

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The Arizona Cardinals take advantage of those talented passers falling out of the top three picks, pulling the trigger to trade up with the Browns at No. 4 overall to land Darnold. Rosen goes to the Denver Broncos at the very next pick in this projection.

Other top 10 surprises? The New York Jets opting for Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley, while Penn State running back Saquon Barkley slides all the way to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 10 overall.

The Cardinals aren’t the only team that trades up for a quarterback in this mock, as the Buffalo Bills make a seven-pick jump to land Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph. While it wouldn’t be a surprise for the Bills to use their treasure trove of early picks to move up for a talented passer, Rudolph is considered by many to be a fringe first-round prospect, and none of the teams they traded ahead of were likely to take him in this scenario.